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Kyle Kashuv Wins Top of His Class: #1 out of 856 Students

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Anti-Second Amendment voices have dominated the spotlight in the wake of recent school shootings. Student activists including David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez have become household names.

One of the messages pushed by Hogg and his allies is that adults have failed, and teenagers — conveniently led by him, of course — can do better at governing. In various interviews and statements, Hogg has implied that he speaks for an entire generation. But it turns out he’s just one voice in the crowd.

While some young activists have chased the spotlight to the detriment of their schooling, another Parkland student has taken a different approach. Second Amendment supporter and school security advocate Kyle Kashuv recently announced that he’s set to end the year at the top of his junior class.

“Got some good news! Ranked #1 in my class of 856 students. #WINNING,” the conservative student and classmate of Hogg announced  Sunday.

A screenshot shared by Kashuv documented his 3.91 GPA, along with his position as the top 11th grade student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

He still has a year to go, but those grades will no doubt open some doors for the young man in his future endeavors — which is something Hogg had some trouble with.

“Some state colleges in California are apparently not impressed by the Parkland high school shooting survivor who helped become a voice for a global gun control movement,”  The New York Post reported in March.

Do you consider Kyle Kashuv to be a role model for young conservatives?

The anti-gun activist seemed to downplay the importance of college while inflating his own importance in the world.

“At this point, we’re already changing the world,” Hogg told TMZ in March. “If colleges want to support us in that, great, if they don’t, it doesn’t matter,” he continued. “There’s a lot of amazing people that don’t get into college.”

“At this point, I’m probably going to take a gap year and I’m sure I’ll eventually find the right place for me,” Hogg also told Axios News.

It’s also interesting to remember that last month, Kashuv reported that he was hassled and interrogated by police and school officials for doing lawful target practice at a gun range with his father.

“It was all very, very weird,” he said of his interaction with police. “The school resource officer goes, ‘Kyle, you’re taking five AP classes. You’re such a good student. Why would you do it?’ I was in shock.”

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The information about Kashuv’s grades means his school was hassling the top student in his class, all because he exercised his Second Amendment right with his family.

In many ways, the contrast between Hogg and Kashuv illustrates the difference between liberal versus conservative thinking.

Some students used the tragedy in Parkland as an impetus to protest, skip school and abandon other responsibilities like continuing their education.

Kashuv took a different route. Despite facing the same deadly incident and its media circus, the conservative student buckled down and rebounded, managing to be an advocate for security and gun rights while staying in class and working hard.

Finishing the year at No. 1 was the result, and there is an important lesson to be learned: Adversity does not define us, but how we respond to the tragedies of the world shows our true character.

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Benjamin Arie is an independent journalist and writer. He has personally covered everything ranging from local crime to the U.S. president as a reporter in Michigan before focusing on national politics. Ben frequently travels to Latin America and has spent years living in Mexico.




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